subject: Something Must Be Known When Shopping Diamond [print this page] Are you planning a gift of jewelry? Whether it's for yourself or for someone you love, build in time to get a good background on the subject. Learning more about jewelry is a fascinating subject even if you're not in the market right now and the more you know, the happier you'll be when it comes time to make a big purchase.
A gift of jewelry can be very expensive. A diamond engagement ring, for instance, can be one of the biggest purchases you've ever made. If you're not familiar with a jeweler in your area, ask family members, friends or co-workers for recommendations.
I will introduce some facts of diamond to help you in your decision.
Carat - a unit of diamond weight that is equivalent to 200 milligrams or 0.2 gram.
Cut - describes a diamonds light performance dimensions and finish; even if a diamond has good color and clarity, a bad cut can make it look dull.
Shape - refers to the outline of the diamond when viewed from the top.
Fire - the flashes of color light reflected back from within a diamond.
Brilliance - the light reflected up through the surface of a diamond.
Scintillation - refers to the flashes of light seen when a diamond moves; also used to describe the patterns of light and dark areas seen in a diamond.
Inclusions - imperfections such as trace minerals and fractures.
Polish - how smoothly the facets of the diamond have been polished, whether any marks are visible from the polishing and how defined the edges of each facet are. Grading keys: (EX) excellent, (VG) very good, (F) fair and (P) poor.
Color - color in a diamond will reduce the fire so, the less color the better the grade. Grade keys for color are: (D) absolutely colorless, highest grade and rare; (E) minute traces of color, high grade and rare; (F) slight color, high quality; (G-H) near colorless, noticeable when compared to a better grade diamond, excellent value; (I-J) color is slightly detectable, good value; (K-Z) detracts from the beauty and value.
Clarity - graded based on the number, location, size and type of inclusions. Grade keys are: (FL, IF) flawless internally and externally, very rare; (VVS1, VVS2) very, very slightly included, excellent quality; (VS1, VS2) very slightly included, good quality; (SI1, SI2) slightly included, good value; (I1, I2, I3) included.
